MANILA, 23 December 2004 — Hundreds of thousands of Filipinos filled the streets of Manila yesterday for the funeral of Fernando Poe Jr., the “king of Philippine movies” who refused to concede the May presidential election.
Authorities had warned mourners not to turn the event into an anti-government rally as some of Poe’s followers vented their anger at President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who defeated Poe in a tight race that the actor and his supporters charged was fraudulent.
Poe, 65, died of a stroke last week while entertaining his friends at his studio.
The massive funeral procession, led by a horse-drawn hearse with Poe’s coffin, snaked its way along a 5-kilometer (3-mile) long stretch through the capital’s major thoroughfares to the North Cemetery, where his widow, actress Susan Roces, leaned over the body for the last time and wiped away tears as the actor was lowered into the ground.
The procession started from Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City and ended at the North Cemetery in Manila, where Poe’s parents and relatives are buried.
Police said 300,000 people watched and followed the carriage, drawn by Poe’s favourite horse and a co-star from some of his 200 films, although local television stations who aired the massive procession live said there were millions of people in the streets to give their last salute to their fallen screen hero.
Crowds shouted Poe’s name and waved posters of the man who came to symbolize the aspirations of this country’s poor.
“Our idol, our president is dead. And his victory was stolen,” said Lani Beato, a 42-year-old housewife. “That is why we are grieving with a heavy heart.”
Some signs read “the fight goes on,”alluding to the actor’s court appeal of President Gloria Arroyo’s win, and leftist groups who had previously been distant to Poe were in attendance with a banner saying: “Overthrow Gloria.”
Another banner used another of the tough-guy actor’s nicknames, saying: “Da King. What will happen to the country now?”
Crying women and children showered the coffin with flowers as it wound its way to the cemetery.
Conspiracy
Malaca?ang Palace, close to the route of the procession, was barricaded with huge shipping containers as Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales warned that some parties could use the funeral to stir up trouble.
A column of tanks and armoured personnel carriers was sent to the capital late on Tuesday. The palace blocked gates with shipping containers, barbed wire and extra troops. Gonzales said there was a “credible intelligence report” of a conspiracy to use the funeral march and burial to incite the masses to turn against the government.
While the government respected the wish of the public to attend the funeral, “we shall not allow riots or seditious acts to rule the streets,” Gonzales said in a televised message.
The military said the plot, which involved both rightist and leftist members of the opposition, was to divert the funeral march towards the presidential palace grounds.
But it apparently fizzled out after the military deployed troops to guard key areas, armed forces spokesman Lt. Col. Buenaventura Pascual said.
The burial also passed off without any incident, and by sundown troops were told to lower their alert status, Pascual said.
Arroyo later went outside the presidential palace to greet the soldiers and policemen who guarded the premises. She thanked them for their dedication, saying: “Because of you, our Christmas will be peaceful.”
Emotions have been running high over the past week, with the opposition reviving claims that Arroyo cheated Poe. Fans had trooped to the wake in droves, forcing police to reroute traffic.
Estrada’s Tirades
Hours earlier, former President Joseph Estrada, Poe’s close friend who was ousted in massive anti-corruption rallies in 2001, addressed a packed Santo Domingo Church, where Poe’s body was displayed in a glass-covered coffin. “I was robbed of my position as president and FPJ was robbed of his victory as president,” he said, referring to Poe by his nickname.
He took a dig at Arroyo, a US-educated economist, saying, “We shared the same belief that a college degree, a master’s or Ph.D. in economics, would not solve the basic problems of the country if you don’t have a heart and feeling for the majority of Filipinos.”
Poe had hoped to get elected as Estrada did, by merging his movie stardom with promises of a better life for the legions of disenfranchised.
Estrada, now on trial for the capital offense of plunder, was allowed out of detention on Tuesday to visit his sick mother and attend Poe’s wake. But a court barred him from the funeral, citing security concerns.
One of Poe’s best-remembered screen roles was the true story of a teacher who became a rebel leader, fighting greedy landlords in the 1920s, when the Philippines was still a US colony. A veteran of more than 200 action films, Poe’s forte was the fist-swinging underdog hero. He was a five-time winner in the Philippine version of the Oscars.
But he may be remembered even more for his brief foray into politics. The political novice and high school dropout said he believed he could unite the nation because “I am not a politician.”
Two months after the election, Poe asked the Supreme Court to nullify Arroyo’s victory, accusing the president of massive electoral fraud. Arroyo’s camp denied any wrongdoing. (With input from Agencies)
